Macular Degeneration Support Group

Hi! I had one Avastin shot but no headaches. Perhaps your headaches are related to something else? Since I found out I have CNV, which is related to inflammation, I stopped taking Advil. I used to take A LOT of Advil....like 4-6 a day for joint pain....I stopped completely after I had eye problems. So now I get headaches which are just "period" headaches...and live through it. I had a 3 day headache last week. But I know it wasnt from the Avastin. I hope you're feeling better!! St.Lucy

AMD is generally painless. You may have some eye or related pain post injection, but there is no pain associated with the disease as a common side effect.

Hi naed. Prior to my first avastin injection I was having severe headaches around my left eye, thats the one with AMD for me. After the first injection the headaches nearly vanished completely. I've heard AMD is painless and that may well be true, I was indeed also diagnosed with bloodclots in my eyeball veins which may be what was causing the headaches. Perhaps theres an issue with clotting that was missed?

I have had two shots of Lucentis before switching to Avastin due to cost, today when at the Doctors to receive monthly shot and was informed that Medicare not longer pays for Avastin shots and I received Lucentis instead. Has anyone else encountered this?

Avastin is used as an off-label treatment for wet macular degeneration, but not approved by the FDA. However, it is legal to use in this manner in the United States. The trouble is that insurance companies, and more importantly to you and me, Medicare won't cover it. I've had both with about the same result.

The two drugs are almost identical, Avastin being a slightly heavier molecule and, I believe somewhat less refined. There's an incredible amount of controversy over this issue. This will probably lead to years of debate before it's either approved or not. In the mean time, people like us are faced with the prospect of debt or permanent vision loss.

Cheers, madam. I wish you well. It's not easy to adjust, but it is possible. I know first hand. Contact me any time.

Medicare has been covering Avastin injections for my husband who has wet AMD since he began getting the injections in 2009 to the one eye he can see out of again (!!). :)
The last shot they checked the one eye he can see out of and his vision has IMPROVED to 25/30! This is amazing progress as he was completely blind for awhile!
He has had 20 shots of Avastin to the eye and the opthamologist has determined that 7 weeks between shots is the most effective way for him to go.
I don't know who said that Medicare does not pay for these shots. That is simply NOT TRUE. I have the bills to prove it!

P.S. He just had the injection last week on Thurday, Jan. 19, 2012 and was not told that Medicare no longer paid for Avastin shots. I hope to god that this is not true!

Will contact the doctor's office to find out about this. I hope it is a rumor.

Finally got it straight, Avastin is covered by Medicare , Problem was computor glitch ( still not fixed) but billing office is confident it will be.
Stan

I stand corrected. I was informed two weeks ago that Medicare is now covering Avastin. I haven't need to consider it for the last year. I was in a study that was giving me Lucentis and another drug and paying me for the privilege.

YES. Medicare is still paying for Avastin injections.

My husband gets an injection every 7 weeks.

As of the day before yesterday, his eyesight in his one eye he can still see out of is holding steady (w/glaucoma to boot!) at 25/30!!